Retirement & Financial Planning Report

People are living longer, on average, so providing for income far in the future may be a concern. Possible tactics:

Buy an immediate annuity. You can buy such annuities in several forms. They can cover your life only, the lives of yourself and your spouse, or your life only with guaranteed payments to a beneficiary for a certain time period. Depending on the type you choose, you’ll receive more or less each month.

However, if you buy when you’re relatively young, the payments will be small. That’s especially true in today’s low-yield environment. In 2012, investing $50,000 at age 65 might get you only $1,500-$2,000 (3%-4%) a year for the rest of your life.

Buy laddered annuities. Instead of buying a $50,000 annuity at 65, you might buy a $10,000 annuity at 65, another $10,000 annuity at 67, another at 69, until all $50,000 is invested in five different immediate annuities. As you grow older, you’ll buy annuities with larger payouts. In addition, future annuities might pay more, if interest rates rise.

Buy longevity insurance. You buy these annuities now but don’t start to collect for many years. Say you buy a $50,000 annuity now, at age 65, but don’t start until age 85. Then, you might be collecting $15,000 (30% of your investment) a year. With longevity insurance, you can tap your portfolio with more confidence when you first retire, knowing the longevity insurance will kick in if you live for many years.